Henry gibson o neill



H. G. O'NEILL.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ENGINE STARTERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-1,19%.

1,314,894, I 'PatenicdSopt. 1919.

UNITE- STATES PATENT oFFroE.

-HEI\TB Y GIBSON ONEILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB T0 CONRAD HUBERT, 0F

' HEWLETT, NEW YORK.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR ENGINE-STARTERS.

: Specification of Letters Patent. i Patentd Sept, 2, 1919.

Application filed March 1, .1915. Serial No. 11,140. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GIBSON ONEILL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

the borough of Manhattan, city-of New Yorl in the county of New York'and State or New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Means v for Engine-Starters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to engine starting apparatus of the type which is adapted to crank an internal combustion engine, particularly ofa motor car, and of the kind in which means are provided :for assuring that the ignition spark of the engine shall be retarded during the cranking operation. My invention relates more particularly to electrically operated engine starting apparatus .and is equally applicable to the single'unit.

type .111 which. combined dynamo and motor commonly known in the art as a dy namo-motor is employed as a dynamo operated by the engine for generatlng' electrical energy which is stored and utilized in the dynamo-motor operated as a motor for cranking the engine, and to the-two unit type in which a r-dynamo is employed for generating electrical energy which is stored and utilized in a separate electric motor for I \and convenience of use. '40

cranking the engine. :My invention relates more particularl" to means for controlling the operation 0 energy generating apparatus.

The principal objects of my invention are 'ineXpensiveness of manufacture, simplicity of construction, dependability in operation, Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes, in combination, connections between the manually operable means for operating the spark advancing and retarding device and the engine-cranking device for setting the la 'ter in operation to crank the engine when te said manually operable means is operated -to move the spark advancing and retarding device to a retarded spark position while maintaining the integrity of the ignition circuit in any position of said device between the engine starting position and the position of most the engine starting and ing wheel of a motor car with parts broken away and shows in longitudinal section the automatic controlling device there appearmg. i Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same on a reduced scale.

"Fig. 5 "is a transverse section of the spark lever and parts of the steerinm-wheel on a plane indicated-by the diagonal. line 5-5 of Fig. 3 as viewed from below and shows the attachment of said controlling device to the steering post.

Fig. 6 is adiagram of the electric circuits, 80

. engine starting apparatus and controlling means, illustrating the application of my in Vention'to the dynamo-motor or single unit type of engine starting apparatus.

I Fig. 7 is a similar diagram illustrating the application of my inventionto the two unit or separate dynamoand motor type of engine starting apparatus.

In the electrical equipment embodying my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a bent controller-operating lever 1 is shown as clamped in fixed position upon the operating rod 2 of the-usual spark ad. vanoing and retarding-device. This operat ing rod 2' as illustrated in the drawings lies alongside of thesteering rod or steering shaft 3 and the upper portions of the operatingrod Qand steering rod 3 are inclosed and-supported "by the steering column or steering post 3. The spark controlling or operating rod 2 is provided at its upper end with the usual manually .actuatable spark lever el which projects just beneath the rim of the steering'wheel 5, (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) and at its lower end the operating rod 2 hasthe usual connection by means of a lever arm 6 and operating rod 7 with'the usual timing device or distributor 8 of the ignition apparatus which may be or the usual or of any suitable construction. 2

Referring more particualrly, to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the controller-operating lever 1 operates a circuit controller in control of both the engine starting and the energy gencrating operations of a dynamo electric machine which is a combined dynamo and motor or dynamo-motor having a rotative armature 9 and stationary field 10 shown as compound wound as appears in Fig. 6. The bent controller-operating lever 1- is' arranged to engage at its free end a pivoted lever 11 of the circuit controller, such engagement taking place at a certain predeterminated position of retarded spark, this being the position of the parts illustrated in the drawings. The

circuit controller lever 11 operates asliding rod 12 which passes through and is guided by a casing 13 and which is moved to its uppermost position by a coiled thrust spring 1 1. -The slide rod 12 carries upper and lower contact bars 15 and 16 of which the lower bar 16 is shown as fixed on the rod 12 but the upper bar 15 is pressed upwardly toward an abutment pin 17 by a coiled thrust spring 18 surrounding the rod 12 above an abutment collar 19. \Vhen the slide rod 12 is elevated by the spring let as shown in the drawings, the upper contact bar 15 will make an electrical connection between a pair of stationary contact terminals 20 and 21 mounted upon but insulated from the casing 13 and the lower contact bar will make a like con nection between another pair of similarly mounted stationary contact terminals 22' a the motor car serving as a common return conductor as is well understood. battery 26 is employed and the generatlng circuit or circuit from the dynamo-motor 9.1O operated as a dynamo to thestorage battery 26 includes a conductor 27, upper left contact member 20, upper contact bar 15, upper right contact member 21, a con dnctor 28, a current regulating device 29, a conductor 30, the lower right contact member 23, a conductor 31, the bottom right contact member 25 and a conductor 32 to the battery 26. The engine cranking circuit or electric circuit from the storage battery 26 to the dynamo-motor 9-1O operated an en- A storage.

gine startin motor for cranking the engine is through t 1e battery line conductor 32,the bottom right contact member 25, the lower Contact bar 16, the bottom left contact member 24: and a conductor 33, to the dynamomotor 910. A lighting circuit 3 1 is shown as connected in multiple with the battery 26 and dynamo-motor generating circuit such connection being shown as made to the con ductor 30. The current regulator 29 is connected in the generating circuit in the usual way and. may be of any suitable construction, this current regulator being illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6 and it appears in elevation at the left in Fig. 1. As is well understood in the art, the current regulator 29 controls the charging of the storage battery 26 and also prevents discharge of the battery through the generating circuit, such as in the present instance would otherwise occur should the engine be stopped with the .spark advanced and hence with the circuit closer in position to close-the genera-tlng C11- cuit. An electric meter 35 is shown as connected to the lower left contact member 22 so as to be included through the lower contact bar 16 in the combined generating and battery circuit in multiple relation with the lighting circuit 3 1. v

1V hen the spark lever 1 is retarded or position shown in the drawings (see Fig. 3 part1cularly) the bent controller-operatmg lever arm 1 will come in contact with and de-,

press the circuit controller lever 11 and the generating circuit will be opened by the upper contact bar 15 moving away from the upper contact members 20 and 21, also inciden tally'the circuit of the meter 35 will be similarly opened by the lower contact bar 16 moving away from the contact members 22 and 23. Further spark-retarding movement of the spark lever 4 will bring the lower eontact bar 16 into contact with the two bottom contact members 2% and 25, this latter contact relation being established at the usual or normal position of maximun'i spark retardation, and without any interference with the moved in a clockwise direction beyond the functions of the spark advancing and re- 'tarding device of the engine, it being noted in this connection that the usual ignition circuit is not affected and remains in operating or sparking condition. -.As soon as electrical connection is made from the lower bottom right contact member 25 through the lower contact bar 16 to the bottom left contact member 241, the dynamo-motor S 10 will be energized as a motor, the result being that the engine is started by the dynamo motor operated as a motor to crank the en gine.

I F or convenience of operation and also to obviate the possibility of accidental unnecessa 1 y drains upon the battery 28 and furthermore to prevent the spark lever 1 from ever being moved through inadvertence the maximum retard position corresponding to the engine starting operation, an automati- Ifially acting device is provided for-moving the spark lever 4 away from the position of mot or 9 10. This automatically acting 11% the engine starts after which-he simply re-.

storing device is shown in the drawings as a sprmgactuated device mounted on the steer-' in'g column 3 just beneath the steering wheel '5 in the path of the spark lever 4 as it is moved toward the position of maximum spark retardation and engine-starting operation. A tubular socket 36 is clamped to the upper. end of thesteering column 3 by a supporting clamp 37- (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). The socket 36 contains a coiledthrust spring 38 which pushes outwardly a piston or plunlger '39 whose outwardmovement is limited y a pin 40 fixed in the tube 36 and passing through a slot in the plunger 39 as clearly appears in Fig. 3. The outer free end of the plunger 39 is positioned injthe path of the spark lever 4'at the proper place so that the engine-starting circuit will notbe completed until after the plunger 39 has. been pushed in bythe spark lever 4 against the tension of the plunger spring 38. In efieting an engine starting operation all that the driver has to do is to move the spark lever 4 toward the spark retarding position .as far as possible after this levercomes in contact with the plunger 39, compressing the plunger spring 38 and then the driver should hold the spark lever4 in thislcombined spark rctarding' and engine startingposition until moves his hand from thespark lever and the motor-controlling circuit will be auto-' matically opened by reason of the pushing forward ofthe spark lever 4 by the plunger 39 under the actuation of the spring 38..-

Itwill now beunderstood that by the same movement and'by the same means by which the ignition spark is retarded an engine starting operation'is effected with maximum retardation of the spark therebyrendering a back-fire during the starting operation an impossibility and also requiring no additional movements on'the part of the driver other than the spark controlling operation which must be performed. anyway to retard the spark previously to starting the engine. It is also to be noted as a feature of importance that the usual or normal functions of the spark advancing and retarding device of the engine are in noma'nner interfered with. A new function is given to the spark advancing and retarding device, but its usual spark time .controllingfunction continues to lee exercised intheusual way the-same as if the engine-starting apparatus were notipresent. .-After the engine has started the spark lever thereto.

4, which now has a super-added functionhy reason of wlnch it has become also an enginestarting lever, may be moved outlet contact with the spring-pressed plunger 39' to adas hereinbefore explained. Further movement of the spark lever 4 in this counterclockwise spark-advancin g direction will lift the free end of the curved controller-operating lever 1 free from the circuit controller lever 11 as will be readily understood from the drawings particularly Fig. 2, and the operation of the dynamo-motor 9-10 as a generator will continue undisturbed. It

will now be understood that if at any time 'the spark be retarded a certain predetermined amount correspondingto a movement.

of the spark lever 4 in a clockw1se direction beyond the position of this lever shown in the drawings, the generating circuit will be opened by reason of the curved controlleroperating lever 1 coming into contact with and depressing the circuit controller lever 11 causing the upper contact bar 15 to move away from the upper contact members 20 and21. This feature of the invention is of great advantage in relieving the engine from the extra load of generating current during hill climbing, and also it is to be noted re.

quires no extra movements of the driver other than the usual one of retarding the spark as is commo1ily done in climbing a hill or under similar circumstances.

-In the construction shown in the drawings (Fig. 6) a SpurpiniOn 41 isfixed upon the armature shaft 42 of the dynamo-motor 9-10 and mesh'es with a spur gear 43 which is fixed on a shaft 44 which may be the engine shaft or an extension thereof coupled In the construction shown in the drawings the speed reduction effected from the armature shaft 42 to the engine shaft 49 is at the rate of about one rotation of the engine shaft 44 to three rotations of the armature shaft 42, in the,engi11e starting operation of-the dynamo-motorin cranking derstoodin the art, difi'erential gearing and clutches may be employed between the armature shaft 42 and engine shaft 44 so that the engine starting operation will be effected at one ratio of speed reduction from the dynamo-motor operated as a motor for cranking the engine and the energy generating operation will be efi'ectcd at a'difi'erent ratio of speed from the engine to the dynamo-motor operated as a dynamo.

In the engine starting equipment diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 7 there is no modification or alteration required of the controlling means of my invention, and. corresponding parts are accordingly designated by the same reference-numerals employed in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, but in Fig. 7 my. in-

vention is shown as applied to the control of a two unit engine starting apparatus having an engine starting electric motor separate from and independent of an energy generating dynamo 46. of the dynamo circuit and connects the dynamo 46 to the upper left contact member 2O of the circuit controller, and a conductor 48 forms part of the motor circuit and connects the motor 45 withthe lower left 'contact member 24 of the circuit controller.

The generator circuit including the conduc-- tor 47 is controlled by the upper contact bar 15 and the engine cranking motor circuit including the conductor 48 is controlled by the lower contact bar 16 in the same way as the generator circuit including the conductor 27 and the motor circuit including the conductor 33 were controlled in the first described construction.

The dynamo was shown as arranged to be- Qoperated from the engine shaft 49 by means of suitable multiplying gears 50 and 51. The motor 45 .is connected to the engine A conductor 47 forms part,

the motor Witnesses before described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to ,6 inclusive.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructions shown in the drawings and above particularly described Within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. An engine-starting apparatus of the type which is adapted to crank an internal 7 combustion engine and of the kind in which means are provided for assuring'that the ignition spark of the engine shall be retarded duringithe cranking operation, characterized by having, in combination, a spark advancing and retarding device for the engine', manually operable means for operating such device including means for maintaining the integrity of the ignition circuit inany position of said device between the enginestarting position and the position of most advanced spark under self-actuatlon of the engine, an engme-crankmg device, and connections between said manually o erable operating means and the engine-cranking device for setting the latter in operation to crank the engine when the said manually operable means is operated to move the spark advancing and retarding device to a retarded spark position.

2. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which the engine-cranking device is an electrio motor having a cranking circuit which is closed or opened by the manually operable means for operatlng the spark adirancmg and retarding device of the engine.

3. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which theengine-cranking.device is a dynamo electric machine having a generating circuit and a cranking circuit, and in which the manually operable means for operating the spark advancing and retarding device opens the generating circuit and closes the cranking circuit or opens the cranking circuit and closes the generating circuit.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY GIBSON ONE ILL.

WM. AsnLnr KELLY, HARRY C. LEWIS. 

